


A good tall bridge will do it

by luciet



Category: Forever (TV)
Genre: Gen, Temporary Amnesia, Temporary Character Death, implied henry/jo if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-22
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-06-09 23:21:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6928360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luciet/pseuds/luciet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Henry Morgan gets amnesia, at least there's a quick fix... (based on a tumblr prompt I saw a while ago I think?)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> good news, this one is in 3rd person! it's kind of drabbly, and i'm pretty sure it's finished, unless people want more...
> 
> (edit- as requested, a follow-up chapter. i'm so glad y'all enjoy it, and i do appreciate the reviews! but- i think it's finished now.)

Abe woke up to the call he never thought he’d have to answer.

“Abe? Abe? I’m so sorry, this is Jo Martinez- Henry’s in the hospital.”

Abe wasn’t used to worrying about his dad, but something about Jo’s voice shook him, and he hastily got dressed and rushed out to the hospital. In the car he noticed that his shirt-cardigan combination didn’t match at all, and smiled at the thought of Henry scolding him before remembering where he was going and why.

He turned into the hospital parking lot, muttering under his breath about the exorbitant parking fees on top of the medical ones as he fed the machine a handful of quarters. He hurried into the building to crash into the information desk and breathlessly ask where Henry’s room was. “

I’m sorry, sir. That patient is only allowed family members. What is your relationship to him?”

“I’m his s- damn it. I’m his father, ok?” Abe took a chance on Henry not having very complete records. He had been urging him to forge some indicating Abe as his father, but Henry had staunchly refused.

The volunteer at the desk frowned at the computer. “His file doesn’t list anything for parents, I’m going to need some ID.” She looked a little sheepish. “I really am sorry, I have to follow protocol.”

“Please. I just need to see him!” The volunteer started to ask for ID again when Jo came down the hall to save him.

“Hey-“ she flashed her badge- “he’s okay to see Henry Morgan. He’s the emergency contact.” She grabbed Abe and steered him up towards the elevators, winking at him once they were no longer facing the desk.

“That badge sure gives you a lot of power, huh?”

“Yes, but I only use it for good.” They smiled at each other, briefly allowing themselves to relax despite the situation. They had reached the elevators, and Jo punched the up arrow button.

Then the moment was gone, and Abe was back in full-worry-mode.  “What happened to him?”

“I don’t know the technical stuff, maybe you should wait for the doctor.” Abe sensed that this was her way of putting off a troubling conversation and felt his heart sink.

The elevator dinged. They traded places with the other patients’ visitors and rode in heavy silence up to Henry’s floor. Jo led him out and down the hall to Henry’s room. The doctor was waiting inside. As she pulled the curtain separating Henry’s bed from the other half of the room aside, Abe gasped. His father was unconscious and restrained to the rails of the bed. “I don’t- what’s wrong - why is he-“

The doctor smoothly interrupted him, “Dr. Morgan received a head injury earlier this morning which was highly traumatic. This resulted in a severe case of amnesia. He became belligerent and violent when approached, as he does not recognize anyone. For his own safety, he is currently sedated and restrained.”

Abe turned angrily to Jo, only to see that she was blaming herself for this already. She looked up at him with a pained expression. “Abe, I am so, so sorry. We were pursuing a suspect, and Henry ran into oncoming traffic. I have no idea what he was thinking. I should have stopped him.”

Abe laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. “It’s not your fault, Jo, you couldn’t have done anything. He’s very stubborn.” They both gave a small smile at this, knowing how true it was. He turned to the doctor, “Can you tell me when he’ll be awake?”

The doctor shuffled some papers in the file. “He was only given a light sedative to keep him under until someone he might recognize was able to come in, so he should be awake fairly soon. I’ll leave you with him if that’s alright. Feel free to call the nurse if you should need anything.” Abe smiled as best he could in response and thanked the doctor. He offered the chair by Henry’s bed to Jo, who refused, insisting that Abe should be there when Henry awoke. She dragged the chair from next to the other bed, which was thankfully currently empty, around to Henry’s half by the window and settled in. As Abe took his seat, he realized that Henry might say some things that were not intended for Jo’s ears. He couldn’t just ask her to leave though; he was much too polite for that. In any case, he knew that Henry had come to mean almost as much to her as he did to Abe himself. He sighed and made a rough plan to ask her for tea if Henry started babbling. He didn’t want to admit to himself yet that this might be a permanent condition, meaning that he’d have to somehow get Henry home and kill him to solve it. He wasn’t really a fan of killing his father: no matter how trivial death was to Henry, it still felt like murder to Abe.

Suddenly, Henry jerked awake. His eyes shot open and his head snapped left to look at Abe, who was holding his hand. He squinted at Abe, trying to make sense of the face he thought he should recognize. It slowly dawned on him. “Abraham?” he whispered incredulously. “But when did you get so old? Aren’t you going to enlist tom-“

Abraham cut him off sharply and loudly, “Would you like some water, Henry? Let’s see if you’re allowed something to drink.” He turned his attention to Jo. “Would you mind, Jo? I’d appreciate it very much.”

Jo stood up, sensing that something was off and that Abe wanted some space alone with his roommate. “Sure, Abe. Can I get you anything?”

“You know, some tea would be lovely. Any kind, I’m not picky. Thank you.” He smiled up at her as she nodded and headed out of the room. As soon as she was gone, Abe turned back to Henry. “Dad? Dad? Are you okay?”

“Yes, Abraham, I’m fine, I just don’t understand. What happened?” He glanced around the room for the first time. “This is an awfully advanced hospital.” His detective skills had not vanished with his memory, and he leaned as close as he could to Abe to whisper, “This isn’t 1963, isn’t it?”

Abe smiled at this, replying, “No, it’s 2015. You’re a medical examiner now. You work with the police department. You foolishly risk your life, worrying your partner. Today, you ran into traffic to follow a bad guy. Instead of catching him or calling me from the river, you end up here with amnesia.” Inwardly, Abe was relieved that his father wasn’t as violent as the doctor had made him out to be, and that he seemed to remember everything up until the day before Abe had gone off to war. It took the burden off of him, and meant that Henry could fix his own problem, no patricide necessary.

“Aha. I see. Well, I’ll just have to get out of here, and then I think I’ve got something to fix this.” He winked at Abe.

“I think you’re fresh out of the good stuff, pops. A little while ago, the police suspected you of murder and searched your lab. They confiscated that and you haven’t gotten around to replacing it yet.”

“Well, I suppose a good tall bridge will do it then- we do still have bridges, yes?” Abe burst out laughing, not seeing Jo reenter the room with the beverages. She had heard Henry’s last statement and frowned as she set the drinks on the table by the bed.

“Bridges, Henry? What’s this about?”

Henry assumed that he was still generally the same person in the present as he’d always been, so he launched into a short treatise about the history of bridges and the various types and which were best. He babbled on until Jo had forgotten his original question to Abe, and interrupted himself to ask about getting the restraints removed. Jo and Abe both started, having forgotten that Henry was still restrained, and called for the nurse to remove them.

The nurse arrived fairly quickly, and expertly removed them after verifying that Henry was indeed non-violent. She apologized profusely for having put them on to begin with, and swept out to attend to her other patients.

Henry sat up, rubbing his wrists, and took a sip of the water Jo had brought. “Do you think I can sign myself out?”

Jo replied, “Yes, I don’t think that will be a problem, you’ll just want to take it easy, the doc said you’ve got some bruised ribs to go with your amnesia, although luckily no major injuries.”

“Wonderful! Abraham, if you wouldn’t mind going to get the paperwork then, and I’ll see if I can’t locate my clothes…”

“Sure thing, po- Henry.” Abe hurried out to get the papers.

Jo had neatly folded his clothes, and she brought them over to him. He didn’t have an IV, but he thought it would be best to wait for the nurse to take care of the machines monitoring him before getting up, so he sat with Jo in awkward silence.

She finally spoke. “I don’t know if you actually ever got my name, but, um, I’m your partner, Jo Martinez.”

He smiled in reply. “It’s very nice to meet you, detective. I hope I remember you very soon, much as I’m sure I’d enjoy getting to know you again.”

She smiled back, as Abe returned, with a sheaf of paper and a trailing nurse. The nurse turned off the machines and informed them that Henry shouldn’t require a follow-up unless anything worsened and that she did very much hope he got his memories back. She pointed at a number of blank lines on the papers that were quickly signed, and swept out once more.

Jo stood up awkwardly and suggested that she wait outside, and Abe offered to wait with her.

Moments later, Henry joined them, looking exactly as he always did, albeit with a few more wrinkles in his suit. “Thank you very much for all your assistance, Jo. I think Abe and I will go home, and hopefully I shall be able to return to work tomorrow.”

Jo frowned slightly at this more formal Henry, but agreed. She wanted to go with him, help him somehow, but it was clear that she may as well have been a stranger to him.

They walked out of the hospital together, separating at the parking structure where Jo said goodbye and went to wait for Hanson, who was already on his way to pick her up. Abe and Henry walked to the car, and instead of going home to the antiques store, they headed to the nearest bridge over the East River.

“Are you sure, Pops?” 

“Yes, Abe, it’s the fastest way. Hurts like hell, but not for very long. Plus you won’t have to go too far to pick me up.” Henry smiled, and gestured for Abe to pull over on the shoulder near the start of the bridge. Abe did so, and waited as Henry stepped out of the car, setting his pocket watch in the center cupholder.

“I’ll meet you at the usual spot. Don’t let any Good Samaritans see you and try to stop you!”

Henry just smiled and waved, then headed down the length of the bridge as Abe drove away. He reached a point not quite halfway where he thought the bridge would be high enough, and clambered over the railing. He looked down at his suit and sighed- this one was a favorite. He knew by now he really shouldn’t have favorites, but he couldn’t help himself. Taking a deep breath, he bent his knees and flung himself away from the railing and off the bridge. The way down was a blur, followed by a millisecond of crushing pain as his body hit the water.

The next thing he knew, he was sputtering and blinking and wading up out of the East River, grinning because he _remembered_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heads up: i wrote this in approximately 30 mins. it has undergone the most limited of proofreading. it is solely here due to request (much appreciated!!) and because i had the sudden need to write. i did no research. i am evidently incapable of writing a non-reveal forever fic. enjoy! 
> 
> (ps i apologize if hanson is ooc, i'm not as good at his voice)

It was a very strange feeling, remembering having amnesia. Henry knew that he really should pretend a while longer, but although he'd always wished it, he'd never actually been a very good actor. Decent liar, in a pinch, but acting? No. So he got up the next morning, put on his second-favorite suit, and headed to work. 

Luckily, no one else (namely Lucas) had arrived yet, so he had some time alone to get prepared for the day. He started by finishing up the paperwork he'd left behind when Jo had called him to talk to the suspect, and cleaning and organizing his office and autopsy tools to relax. He let nearly two hours go by before realizing that Lucas still wasn't in. He contemplated calling, as there were a number of cases to deal with, but discovered that he didn't actually have Lucas's number on file. He could either try to rush through the bodies himself, or he could go upstairs to the precinct and face Jo in order to get the help he quite badly needed.

He sighed, tugged his waistcoat out of habit to straighten it, and rode the elevator up to the correct floor. He attempted to exit furtively, but without looking too suspicious. He made it about a half-step before he was spotted by Jo. 

"Henry!" She called to him, jogging over to interrogate him, no doubt. "What on earth are you doing here? Did you get your memory back already?"

Henry restrained himself from another sigh and finished the step out of the elevator to let the doors slide closed behind him. He took a careful breath, trying to nail down every detail of his story. He remembered at the last moment that one of the things liars do is over-explain, so he simply replied, "Yes, I did. Additionally, I had to come in to finish up some paperwork and to whittle down the autopsy backlog." He paused briefly, watching Jo's face for any sign of her thoughts. "Actually, speaking of work, I'm looking for Lucas's number- he's not in yet today.”

Although he'd hoped for a clean retrieval of the number, Hanson and Reece had spotted him. Apparently news of the amnesia had really gotten around. He could tell that most of the other officers were just as interested, but too polite to actually crowd around him, choosing instead to conspicuously eavesdrop. 

Reece waved them all into her office, ostensibly for some privacy, although Henry knew for a fact that at least two of the officers could read lips, and the uncovered windows were achieving absolutely nothing for privacy.

“Dr. Morgan! I’m surprised to see you here so soon. I’ve never seen an amnesia case clear up this fast- it has cleared up, hasn’t it?” She leaned over the desk with concern.

Henry cleared his throat. “Er, yes, it has, thank you.”

Hanson smiled, clapping Henry on the back. “That’s great news! What’s the secret?”

Henry faltered. “I don’t, um, I don’t know.” He tried to look a bit pathetic, hoping they’d leave it at that. 

Hanson replied, “Well, it’s just that we see more amnesia victims than you might expect- lots of head trauma in violent situations- and we always talk to the doctors. And every doctor has said that amnesia is so tricky, that there’s no real cure. So if you had any tips, you know, for future victims?”

Jo could tell that Henry was panicking, and by now she could tell when he had something to hide. She decided there would be plenty of time to interrogate him later, but it would be cruel not to save him now. “Hanson, come on. He just got out of the hospital, for chrissakes.”

Hanson seemed to realize he’d been insensitive, and quickly apologized. Reece wished him the best, but sternly reminded him that he still wasn’t free from the mandatory desk duty and therapy following an on-the-job injury. 

They filed out of the office, and the rest of the precinct suddenly returned to work, no doubt disappointed in what they’d “heard”. Hanson headed off to work on his own paperwork, and Henry followed Jo back to her desk. He did still need Lucas’s number, after all. 

He perched awkwardly in the extra chair by her desk while she looked it up. He could tell she had several in-depth questions prepared, but he wasn’t sure when to expect them. She handed him a post-it note with the number, and offered to accompany him back to the morgue. He could tell the offer was less of a polite request and more of a requirement, so he agreed. They rode down in the elevator in silence, although he could see her in the corner of his eye open and close her mouth several times as if trying to decide on just the right phrasing. 

By the time they’d crossed the main floor of the morgue and reached his office, he decided it would only be fair to put her out of her misery. “Jo, if you have a question, please, just ask.”

She smiled wryly at him. “I know you did just get out of the hospital, but I would like to know- both for future victims and to satisfy curiosity- how did you get your memory back?”

He let all the lies he’d rehearsed with Abe run through his head, but knew deep down that she’d know he was lying. He could probably get away with saying Abe had shown him some key item, or that he’d heard some music, but even he wouldn’t really believe that. Besides, he liked Jo. He figured at this point, he owed her the truth. 

“Why don’t you take a seat? It’s a long story.”


End file.
